Offensive prowess helping to make up for Wolf Pack's defensive woes

Coach David Carter had no real reason to think his Nevada basketball team would be a good offensive team this season.

The 2012-13 version wasn't - the Wolf Pack averaged 67.5 points per game and shot just 42.1 percent from the floor, second to last in the Mountain West Conference. And there were a lot of unproven players joining the team this season.

But the Wolf Pack has surprised Carter, which is a good thing because its defense has been poor so far. At least the offense is giving Nevada, which hosts Nebraska-Omaha at 3:05 p.m. Saturday, a chance to win games.

"I thought we would struggle (offensively) ? having new guys in new roles, having so many new players," Carter said Wednesday. "I was really concerned. ? I was really going into the season thinking about how we were going to score, who was going to score. But it turned out not to be an issue. Guys are contributing. Guys are stepping up."

The Wolf Pack is coming off arguably its best offensive game of the season. In a 92-84 loss at Cal on Tuesday night, Nevada shot 55.2 percent from the floor (32-for-58) and hit 47.1 percent from 3-point range.

It was the second-best field-goal percentage this season (56.9 percent in a 92-90 win at San Francisco) and its best 3-point-shooting night. And it happened against Pac-12 competition and without arguably the team's top offensive player in the paint, senior forward Ali Fall, who has missed the last two games with a sprained ankle (Carter said Wednesday Fall would practice and is expected to play against Omaha).

"Offensive hasn't been a problem the whole year," senior guard Jerry Evans Jr. said after the Cal game. "We're scoring enough points. We're doing all the correct things on offense. We've got to figure out a way to get stops and make it easier on ourselves."

Nevada is shooting 45.0 percent, which ranks right about in the middle of Division I teams (168th of 351). It's also hitting 37.2 percent of its 3-point shots, which ranks 81st. The Wolf Pack hit just 30.8 percent of its treys last season, which was good for last in the conference.

One reason why shooting has improved is that changes in the rules. Officials are calling hand-checking much tighter this season, which is giving players more open looks and a less-obstructed path to the basket.

Carter's just grateful to have it, especially considering the struggles on defense.

"It's probably because guys are comfortable in our system," Carter said, explaining the improvement. "Offensively they understand their roles a lot faster than I anticipated. I thought it would be a bigger adjustment. ? They've really exceeded my expectations."

Deonte Burton is leading the charge. Last season he averaged 16.3 points per game and a field goal percentage of 40.7. So far this season he's at 23.2 and 47.7. He's not alone, though. Evans was at 7.5 and 44.4 last season and is at 13.4 and 48.8 now. Cole Huff and Marqueze Coleman, both of whom played significantly as true freshmen a year ago, have combined to go from 8.8 and 39.9 percent to 17.6 and 46.5 percent.

Nevada is going to need offensive production against Omaha, which is 7-3 and likes to run. The Mavericks average 84.7 points per game, 24th in the country. They nearly beat UNLV in Las Vegas (73-70) and are coming off a 93-88 home win over Cal State Bakersfield, a team that beat Nevada 74-66 in Bakersfield on Nov. 16.

Mountain West Conference play begins Jan. 1, and while the Wolf Pack struggled last year against MWC teams that focused on taking away Burton, Carter said he thinks they have the weapons to battle that strategy this season.

"Last year we were so up and down," Carter said. "This year we've been very consistent in scoring. When I say consistent, I mean somebody has been stepping up, whether it's Cole Huff or Jerry Evans or Mike Perez or Marqueze. And Deonte, of course, has been very consistent. Going into conference, I'm a little more optimistic about that, that it won't be a factor if they take away Deonte, that we'll have other options."